Savvy Tote

Savvy Tote
This project was originally posted to the BERNINA Sewing Republic site
Nicole Smith
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1 ¹⁄₃ yard of 45" wide oilcloth, vinyl or heavyweight fabric
1 ¹⁄₃ yard of 45" wide lining fabric
1 set of 5½" wide purse handles
1 magnetic purse snap
Two squares of interfacing each 4" x 4"
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Cutting
Use a ½" seam allowance.
1. Cut two 21" x 15" rectangles for
the bag front and back, two 15" x 7"
rectangles for the bag sides and one 21"
x 7" rectangle for the bag bottom from
the oilcloth and bag lining.
Sewing
2. From the oilcloth pieces, pin one
bag side to the bag front with right
sides together matching the 15" raw
edges. Mark ½" from the bottom edge.
Sew the side seam from the top to the
marking at the bottom, leaving ½"
unsewn at the bottom.
3. Repeat to sew the second side piece
onto the other 15" side of the bag front,
leaving ½" unsewn at the bottom edge.
Cutting
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4. Pin the oilcloth bag back to the
two sides matching the 15" edges.
Sew the same way you sewed on the
front, leaving ½" unsewn at each
bottom edge.
5. Pin the oilcloth bag bottom to the
assembled bag with right sides together
and the raw edges even. Fan out the
corners of the bag at each bottom
corner as shown.
6. Sew around all of the bottom edges,
pivoting at each corner. To pivot, leave
your needle down in the fabric when you
come to each corner. Lift the presser foot
and turn the fabric in the new direction.
Lower the presser foot and continue
sewing as normal.
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7. Fold two pleats on the top edge of the
back of the, and two on the front. The
bag shown has two pleats that are spaced
8" apart and 2" deep. Pin the pleats
and baste them in place on the sewing
machine ¼" from the raw edge.
8. Bag Lining
Follow all of the same steps above to
construct the bag lining, but be sure
to leave an 8" opening along one of
the side seams for turning the bag
right-side-out.
9. Fuse a strip of interfacing to the
wrong side of the bag lining front and
back, centered along the top edge.
Mark snap placements on the bag
lining and install following the snap’s
instructions. Place each snap centered
about 1" below the top raw edge.
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10. Cut four 4" x ½" rectangles from
the oil cloth for the handle straps. Pin
two together with wrong sides facing
and sew along the two short edges
with a ¼" seam allowance.
11. Lace one strap through a purse
handle, matching the 4½" edges.
Center it along the top edge of the
bag front matching raw edges. Baste
in place with a ¼" seam allowance.
Repeat for the bag back.
12. Turn the lining inside out, and
place the oilcloth bag right-side-out
inside the lining so that right sides
are facing together.
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13. Carefully line up the top edges,
pin in place, and stitch all the way
around the edge with a ½" seam.
14. Through the 8" opening left in
the lining, turn the bag right-side-out.
Slipstitch the opening closed after
turning.
15. Finger press the edge of the top
seam over, and hold in place with clips
(binder clips work great and won’t
leave holes in the oilcloth like pins will),
edgestitch all along the top edge.
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TIPS FOR WORKING WITH VINYL:
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Lengthen your stitch to a little longer than normal.
A normal stitch can sometimes create a perforated
edge in vinyl.
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Try leather or denim needle. They’re stronger
and can handle the vinyl better.
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Load your machine with a Teflon or roller foot. If you
don’t have one, try placing a piece of tissue paper over
the sticky side of your vinyl if it comes in contact with
your presser foot. Try putting a piece of masking tape
on the bottom of your regular presser foot and it will
glide over the oilcloth with ease.
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